No Secret Left Uncovered

Jessica ran from her past...but can she hide from love?

Jessica Morgan wants desperately to forget the past and begin a new life. She chooses a small, peaceful town tucked away in Oregon’s Willamette Valley as the place to start over—Glenbrooke. Once there, Jessica conceals her identity from the intriguing personalities she meets—including the compassionate paramedic who desires to protect her and the jealous woman who wants nothing more than to destroy her.

Will Jessica’s deceit ruin all hope for the future? Or will she find a deeper peace that allows her to stop hiding the truth from those who love her most of all?

 Secrets always have a way to come out, even the deepest secret in the world. Just as Jessica Morgan found it impossible to keep her past as a secret, it eventually came out through Principal Charlotte, the one person who had it in for Jessica.

Even us as Christians, no secret is 'secret' because God knows all and eventually the truth will be revealed for all to see.


I got this book from: Blogging for Books.

Spiritual Warfare

What if you could actually see angels and fallen angels engaging in battle—and you were expected to join the fight?

It’s been one year since Jonah Stone and his sister, Eliza, discovered that their mother is a nephilim, the product of a union between a human and a fallen angel, which makes them and their little brother, Jeremiah, quarterlings, or one-quarter angel. After embarking on an epic journey to rescue their mother and the other nephilim, who were kidnapped by fallen angels, the Stone kids have enjoyed a little peace and quiet.
But when Jonah and Eliza are attacked by fallen angels at school, they learn that quarterlings all over the world are being targeted, and separating them from their parents is the only way to keep them safe. The kids undergo special training to help them discover their own unique angelic gifts, which come in handy when they embark on a mission to find a mysterious prophet who they believe holds the key to Abaddon's defeat in a massive battle between good and evil.

Parents today are looking for fiction that makes Christianity and the Bible exciting for their kids. This series is the first Christian answer to Percy Jackson and the Olympiansand other middle grade series packed with adventure, action, and supernatural fights. But the message is solidly scriptural in that God alone is always in control.

 I have recently noticed that I was under spiritual warfare with the devil and my heart. Even though I am at a Christian university, I have still found myself struggling to be like God everyday. I found that I was fighting a losing battle by myself and arming myself not with the armor that God gave me, but other things that I thought was right and Christian.

Even though I have been at this school for 4 1/2 years, I have come to realize that a Christian school also has its pros and cons. The pros are of course the wonderful classes in which professors will pray for the students at the start of each day, but the cons is that each group is trying to reach the same people and by doing that, is splitting the student body into cliches, instead of really reaching them with the gospel of Christ.

Many things that I have experienced would probably happen to me in s public school, but because a fellow brother and sister in Christ did it to me, I feel more hurt than if a nonChristian did it to me. Because I have started to put on the armor of God, I feel as though God is equipping me to face these trials that have come up against me.

God’s Payment Plan

“For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:30-31 Someone may be in debt to you. They may owe you money, a reputation, an apology, a job, or a childhood. But God is asking you to let go and let Him. Let Him handle this. He has a payment plan for those who are in debt to his children. It may mean He wipes their slate clean with minimal repercussions. It may mean their stiff neck forces God to bring them to the end of themselves through trials and tribulations. Or, it may mean that what awaits them is an eternity of reaping in hell what has been sown on earth. But God’s position is one of judge and jury. You do not have to carry this burden or responsibility. Your role is to forgive and to trust God with the proper judgment and consequence.
   
Life gets complicated and draining when we take on the responsibility of making sure a person gets what he deserves. This is arrogant and unwise on our part. How can we know what others deserve for their injustices, neglect, and self-absorption? Our role is not to play God, but to serve God. Playing God is a never-ending disappointment. We were not made for that role. Only the Almighty can fill these shoes. And He does have it under control. There is no indiscretion or blatant injustice that is off His radar screen of sensitivity. He picks up on every “little” sin.

So, rest in the assurance of knowing God will pay back in His good timing and in His good way. Give this person or issue over to God. Do not bear the responsibility of executing payback time. Your role is to forgive and let go. God’s role is to establish a payment plan of justice and judgment. Yes, your parents may have blown it through their own selfish tirades. Their immature choices may have built up over time and led to divorce. Because of their indiscretions and unwise decisions, you grew up in a less than favorable home environment. But look at their faces. The hurt and the consequences are etched in their countenances. The results of their wrongs have caught up with them. They need your grace and forgiveness. Be a good son or daughter, and by this you may facilitate healing for your parents’ soul. Sin has its own harvest of heartache, not to mention breaking the heart of the heavenly Father. Trust God with your parents. Let Him worry about what they deserve.
   
You can bring reconciliation to a fractured family relationship by forgiving. Once you have forgiven, trust God to administer whatever punishment He sees as fitting. He may see a broken and contrite heart in your offender that leads to their salvation and freedom in Christ. Your forgiveness and unconditional love may be the very thing God uses to illustrate what they can experience up close and personal. Forgive and give. Forgive them of their hurt, insensitivity, and selfishness; then give them over to God. Trust Him with His repayment plan. He owns the payback process. His vengeance may be swift, it may be delayed, or it may be dissolved. Regardless, you do the right thing, and trust God to do the same. Vengeance is His, not ours. Payback time is up to God. We have enough in our own lives to consider. Pray for yourself and others to avoid falling into the hands of the living God, for it is a dreadful thing.

God's Will Waits for No Man

Susanna is a lady of principles who values family above all. Johann seems to represent all she despises . . . but appearances can be deceiving.
In 1875, Susanna Hanby is headed off to college in Westerville, Ohio, when she discovers her sister Rachel and Rachel’s children have disappeared. Susanna suspects that Rachel’s alcoholic husband knows more than he’s saying and she vows to uncover the truth.

Johann Giere is heir to a successful German-American brewery in Columbus, but longs for a career in journalism in New York City. When Johann signs on as the supplier for a new saloon in Westerville, his and Susanna’s paths cross and sparks fly. A fiery temperance crusader, Susanna despises Johann’s profession, but she cannot deny the attraction.
When Susanna learns that Rachel’s children have been indentured to orphanages in the city, she despairs that her family will be fractured forever. But Johann makes Susanna an offer she can’t refuse—pitting her passion and her principles against one another.
If she can find a way for her head and her heart to be in harmony, a future lovelier than daylight awaits her.

I'm finding out in these few recent days that God sometimes lets things happen for the good of our own future. Even though we think it's the most terrible thing ever, God lets these trials build up our character so that He can break us into workable clay so that we can be a beautiful jade vase someday, shining for His glory.

I got this book from Booksneeze!

The Past Life

Long Trail Home is part of a six-book series about four generations of the Morgan family living, fighting, and thriving amidst a turbulent Texas history spanning from 1845 to 1896.  Although a series, each book can be read on its own.

When Riley Morgan returns home after fighting in the War Between the States, he is excited to see his parents and fiancée again. But he soon learns that his parents are gone and the woman he loved is married.
Riley takes a job at the Wilcox School for the blind just to get by. He keeps his heart closed off but a pretty blind woman, Annie, threatens to steal it.
Through painful circumstances, Riley and Annie learn that the loving and sovereign hand of God cannot be thwarted.

The sovereign hand of God cannot be thwarted....I'm seeing that in my own life now. My heart was hurt so bad when I was a child, I kept huge walls of steel around my heart and God is now breaking down the walls, little by little. I'm fighting it at every turn, yet even my mom knows that God is trying to break down the walls so that He could use me greatly in the future.

Even though I went to Liberty University, all my roommates were double-standard Christians. I have roomed with every kind of person, yet they all still profess that they love God with all their heart. I have had racist roommates, violent roommates and verbally abusive roommates. This year, my roommate is an only child and she has had a 24/7 maid with her all her life until this semester.

Life has been tough, but I feel as though God has been putting me through all these trials to break down the steel walls of my heart, so that when I finally surrender myself to him, he'll be able to use me for his greatness in the future. 

Life's Unsuspected Turns

Love lost doesn’t mean love lost forever.
Can unexpected romance deliver a second chance for two deserving widows?

Full of resolve, young widow Willow Peterson decides to pursue her dreams to be an artist as she settles into a new life in the growing mountain town of Cripple Creek.  When she lands a job working as a portrait painter with handsome entrepreneur and photographer Trenton Van Der Veer, the road before Willow seems to be taking a better-than-anticipated turn. 

With questions tugging at several hearts in town, including the Sinclair Sisters’ beloved Miss Hattie, change is traveling down the tracks as several unexpected visitors make their way out West.  Will the new arrivals threaten the deep family bonds of the Sinclair sisters and the roots of love that are just taking hold for Willow?    

Life often throws curve balls at you, and sometimes it's hard to dodge them. Some of them make your life go down hill and when it's down hill, it gets hard and you have to get muddy.

I have been down that path many times. I can see the pretty side of the hill, but no matter what, I am stuck in the mire of the mud and trudging slowly up the hill. But when I finally get up the hill, I find that I was much stronger than I was before I started up the hill.

If I had taken the easy side, I wouldn't have felt as prepared as when I took the hard side because I see another similar-looking hill in front of me.

To Speak or Not to Speak

We often find ourselves in situations where we don't know what to say, or when to say it. Some people will blurt things out (guilty), while others wait to say it. There are pros and cons for both sides of these situations often leading to guilt and regret.

Almost everyone has found themselves in a situation where they don't know if they should bite their tongue or speak their mind. When is silence golden and when is it better to speak up?

When to Speak Up and When to Shut Up offers practical guidelines for people who want to improve their communication skills. It will help readers explore the cost and purpose of silence, how to ask good questions, how to overcome pressure to remain silent, and more. Using biblical and contemporary examples, this book shares important strategies for discerning God's direction, acting on his word, and building better communication within your workplace, church, and home.

I have learned a lot from this book. I always say the wrong thing at the wrong time or don't say something I should've said. This book helped me to learn tact, God's way and I am thankful I got to review this book for free.

I got this book from Bethany Publishers.